Universal Kitchen Converter
Any unit in, any unit out. Fifty-plus ingredients supported.
When you just need one tool that handles everything, this is it. The Universal Converter converts between any combination of cooking units: cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, grams, ounces, pounds, milliliters, liters, sticks of butter, across 50+ common ingredients.
Enter an amount and unit, pick a target unit, choose the ingredient if volume-to-weight conversion applies, and get your answer. Use it when you are cooking from a recipe that switches between measurement systems (1 cup flour, 120 mL milk, 50 g butter) and you need to standardize to your measuring tools.
The converter uses the same scientifically-sourced ingredient densities as our other tools (FAO Density Database, King Arthur Baking). For pure volume-to-volume or weight-to-weight conversions (cups to tablespoons, grams to ounces), the ingredient does not matter. For mixed conversions (cups to grams, mL to ounces-of-an-ingredient), ingredient density is applied automatically.
Result
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The Reference
The Universal Converter combines three conversion types: volume-to-volume (cups to mL to tbsp), which is ingredient-independent; weight-to-weight (g to oz to lb), also ingredient-independent; and volume-to-weight (cups to g, mL to oz), which requires ingredient density.
All density values come from FAO Database Version 2.0 and King Arthur Baking reference. Accuracy is plus or minus 1-2% for most ingredients.
When to Use a Universal Tool vs a Specialized One
For a single conversion, any of our specialized tools (cups to grams, ounces to grams, tablespoons to cups) works perfectly. Each tool focuses on its specific conversion with slightly deeper supporting content, quick reference tables, and FAQ content specific to that conversion.
The universal converter shines when you are converting multiple units in the same session. A European recipe calling for 250 g flour, 150 mL milk, 50 g butter, and 1 tsp salt requires four different conversions if you think about it ingredient-by-ingredient. The universal converter lets you flip through unit pairs without changing tools.
For converting whole recipes at once, our recipe scaler is better. It handles an entire ingredient list and also scales portions. The universal converter is for single-ingredient mid-recipe conversions.
How to Use
- Enter the amount you have in any unit.
- Pick your target unit.
- If converting between volume and weight, select the ingredient.
- The tool shows you the result plus what conversion type was applied.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need to choose an ingredient?
Only for volume-to-weight conversions (like cups to grams). Different ingredients have different densities, so the conversion depends on what is being measured. For pure volume (cups to tablespoons) or pure weight (grams to ounces), ingredient does not matter.
What if my ingredient is not listed?
Pick a similar-density ingredient as an approximation. For rare ingredients, our Ingredient Density Database has a longer reference list. You can also look up the ingredient's density in grams per mL and calculate manually.
Is this more accurate than ingredient-specific converters?
Same accuracy. We use the same density values. The Universal Converter just combines multiple tools into one interface. Use whichever feels most convenient.
Can I convert a whole recipe?
For whole recipes, use the Recipe Scaler. It handles full ingredient lists and can scale servings too. The Universal Converter is best for one-off conversions during cooking.
Does temperature affect conversions?
Slightly, especially for oils and butter (density changes with temperature). Our values are for room-temperature ingredients (around 20C). For cooking, the difference is negligible.
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